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Comment by 0xr0kk3r | Hacker News Reader

"rather than getting the $70 replacement part"

Appliance repair usually starts at a $100 house-call fee and goes up from there. It is cheaper to buy a new dishwasher than get it repaired.

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When I moved into my apartment, the racks in the dishwasher were badly rusted. I told the management.

They replaced the entire dishwasher. They said they couldn't get a replacement rack.

> They replaced the entire dishwasher. They said they couldn't get a replacement rack.

What are the margins on replacement racks?

Someone would have to pay for warehousing, stock tracking, employees for packing/shipping, then add shipping costs. Why would anyone offer them?

This problem is multiplied by the fact that most consumer goods have subtle differences in design between brands and even model lines within the brand. If there were only 2 or 3 different, standardized dishwasher racks for all models, stocking those few would be cost effective.

As someone that owns a number of small-engine powered devices, I'm always amazed at how easy/cheap it is to find parts. Most small engines are either one of a couple Briggs and Stratton models, or a knockoff of same. Even across models, B&S usually did a pretty good job of reusing common parts. When you need a part, you can cross reference various part numbers to find either the OEM part or dozens of cheap Chinese copies.

Small engine devices also often utilize belts so you can replace the whole engine with various different ones and only have to line up and size the proper belt.

We bought a house recently and the racks in the (old) dishwasher are rusted. I thought it would be cheap to replace them. $400 for new top and bottom racks. $425 for a new dishwasher. I am gobsmacked.

You often can get the part, but it’s expensive and with shipping and hassle you might as well but a new dishwasher.

Especially as a landlord, spend $200-400 to replace the racks or buy a new for $500 and pretty much guarantee no calls on that item for five years.

Unless you repair it yourself. I’ve done things like replacing the bearings and a cracked spider arm in our clothes washer. Not only was it cheap to do so, I also learned a lot about how a washer is put together by dismantling one down almost all the way. Same with replacing the heating element in the dryer.

Living in a country that is a smaller market really sucks on this front because I either cannot get the parts, or they cost more to ship here than the cost of the part itself. Last time I got something for my coffee machine that the manufacturer refused to sell it cost $80 to ship it here from a parts warehouse.

The person is talking about buying the part and installing it themselves, not paying someone to come repair it for them.

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